Answers

Response to where to find 55 gal drum?

Before you use any 55gal drum for anything , Make sure you know what
was in the drum before you use it. 55gallon metal drums usually house
chemicals, oil or greese. Not the best thing to put your dog in. You
can often burn any excess "stuff" out of the barrel. You might be able
to find some metal containers that had food grade liquids in them, but
they are rare. Most food grade products are in plastic drums. These
drums are nice if you can steam clean thema and get out the previous
content. Might make a nice dog house as long as the dog doesnt like to
set on top of the house.

Response to where to find 55 gal drum?

Hi Susan and Emily. I don't know about where to find them, but the
other poster was right about being careful about what was in them. I
really don't think a St. Bernard would fit in one, though. The one
we had once was 125# and that's small for a St. Bernard, and he'd
have been squeezed in it pretty good. Don't think he could have
turned around in there. Still, I know for a dog house to be
effective they are supposed to be a tight fit for the animal so they
can heat it with body heat. How about building yourself a nice back
porch instead, so you and the dog can share? :)

A drum an proabily be located at a truck stop or repair shop for
large equipment. After cutting the top out you can have a sticks fire
in it to remove the residues after you scrub and rinse out as much as
possible.

Hi Susan n' Emily:
I agree that it might be a tight fit. You can build a quick and easy doghouse out of small square bales of straw or hay that work really well and of course could be used for bedding, mulch, etc. later.
Good luck on your project.
Cynthia

Well, aside from a 55 gal drums you could also use pallets / skids.
use a nice long crow bar to take them apart. Pallets are often free
for the asking. 3 or 4 pallets would be enough wood to build a nice
size doggie den. Just wear gloves as most pallets are made from cheap
wood that would need some sanding for spliter removal.

A good source for plastic 55 gallon drums would be a greek food
supplier [or try an asian food supplier], green chilli peppers and
black olives in them. for $5 each - big screw on lid type.

I've not tried to get the smell out as I made mine into a
composter. Maybe a big box of baking soda would do.

I bought a 55 gal drum several years ago to use as a doghouse - I got
it from a trucking company - it had previously been used for canned
milk - cost about $13.00 - only problem was not one of my dogs could
be convinced to set foot in it. I finally used it for storage and
then gave it away. They especially did not like to be around it when
it was raining. I finally make the straw bale house - cost about the
same. A St. Bernard definitely would not fit. Our largest dog was
about 50lbs and she was a good fit.

I fail to see why any dog with a brain would sleep in a metal drum
unless of course they were tied up and forced to. would you like to
sleep on and surrounded by, metal? Absolutly NO insulating
properties, heavy condensation. I would think you could do better for
your dog.

Lots of smaller working dogs live in old oil drums but they are not
suitable for bigger dogs as the dog must be able to turn it self
around inside.

It will be more comfortable with a few sacks or sheep skins on the
floor and reasonably insulated if a few inches of soil are piled up
and over the drum. A simple wooden front with a dog sized hole is a
good idea.

If the dog is a good worker when the time comes for retirement he/she
can be relocated to sleep in front of the kitchen fire!

My husband gets plastic drums from a friend, who gets them from a
beverage co (pepsi cola) WE have found them handy for many things.
One thing I really like them for is swimming pools, or water
containers for animals. (Cut bottoms off to desired depth). We
have one for ducks and one for our pet pig. Anyway, if you have any
beverage companies nearby maybe you can find them there.